Ok, so here's my first post. I've been browsing and sucking the valuable information from the generous and knowledgeable people here for a while. I have finally added some mods to my 2009 997 TT cab. After thinking about what I wanted and the price/value, here's what I went with:

- Fabspeed Supersport X-pipe (comes with round 70mm exhaust Tips)
- Fabspeed Carbon Fiber High Perf Air-intake</O>
- HJS racing 200 cell HF cats (supplied by Fabspeed)
- EVO billet Booster Recirculation Valves</O>
- EVO Stage II tune


I believe the HP gain is between +100hp-120hp for this mod with about the same gained in torque as well (which is nuts but apparently you can get these sick gains when modifying turbos). That is a rough number. I wasn't as concerned with this exact figure. Basically wanted a kick *** exhaust with some nice hp/torque gains thrown in for good measure.Didn't dyno it before or after. They have so many examples of this exact car with these exact mods it didn't seemd neccessary.
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Again, after much thinking and research, I decided to go with Fabspeed. They seemed like they provided the best value for what I was looking to accomplish, which was mostly improved sound through a new exhaust....and some additional hp/torque by tuning the turbo software.

After speaking with Jeff at Fabspeed (numerous times) I finally decided since I am in Northern NJ I would take the 1 1/2-2 hour ride to their shop to see for myself what their operation looked like and if all looked good, have them also perform the install for me. When I arrived Jeff gave me the full tour. He explained that they will soon be moving to a newer and much larger facility just a few minutes away. I spent some time in the garage area where I saw the owner's personal race car and also saw a new air-intake going into a 911. While Jeff explained that Fabspeed mostly supplies (as opposed to installs) its parts, it was nice to see they still had some bays to accommodate the occasional install as well as their "experiments" with new designs.

I then saw the area nearby where they had a couple of welders performing some work on new exhausts. We then moved onto the warehouse where they had a large... well....warehouse, with numerous shipments ready to go. Upstairs was a number of very friendly people, I'm guessing salespeople and operations staff, busy at work on computers. I actually saw them (later) dump my ECU, send it to EVO, then reload. Pretty cool. They had a nice lounge area where you could chill, watch TV, or play some ping pong! All in all it was a great to see the operation and work being done firsthand. It became a cool part of the overall experience. After seeing everything myself and meeting some of their people, I felt good about using their products and having them work on my baby. If you’re in the Northeast and can make the trip to their shop, I highly recommend it. I'm sure their new facility will be even better.
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I know there are some threads that talk about Fabspeed....where things are manufactured, etc. I won't go there since it has been discussed at length. This is purely my own very honest and real review. I don't know the guys at Fabspeed outside of this mod I just did. I have no affiliation with them or anyone else in this business. I made the decision to go with Fabspeed after much research (on this site and others) and basically taking a leap of faith. It helped that they were so close to me geographically and I had decided to go directly to their shop. The people there were very nice. They were professional, knowledgeable, gave me a tour and had all aspects of business going on (installs, shipping, welding, operations, etc.). Anything more detailed than that I can't say... other than I was very impressed and happy with what I saw.
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I had the work done yesterday. Drove it home last night. My thoughts...

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Ok traffic sucked going home but the good news is I got to spend almost 3 hours driving it…although a lot of that in 2<SUP>nd</SUP> gear. Still need to spend more time with it but here are my initial impressions:
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-Sick. Seriously.

-Exhaust is EXACTLY what I wanted. Car sounds so powerful. The note is pushed about as far as you can without going over the top and cheapening it. I LOVE IT. I really can’t say enough about the sounds emitted as you wind through the gears. Sounds great up and down, at all speeds. Tremendous. Can’t tell you how many heads were turning.

-Driving/Speed(gains). Again, sick. I was surprised because I didn’t know what to expect. This is a turbo so of course you still have the “boost” effect but what I find now is that I get boost earlier (around 3k rpm) and when it kicks in, it’s MASSIVE. I am consistently at 15-17psi. At one point yesterday….in sport mode with the ground a bit wet……I snapped into 2<SUP>nd</SUP> gear and got on it. The car exploded like a horse out of the gate and actually went sideways. I know some of that has to do with the wet pavement and sport/pasm but the power that came through was incredible….and a bit frightening.

-(exhaust) Tips. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I thought the stock tips were fine. Wrong. These are a million times nicer looking and go perfectly with the sound and power this beast puts out. I keep looking at them.

-Finally, all of this sound and power yet the vehicle remains very refined. Doesn’t sound or behave like a sup’d up street racer or funny car. This really is the right balance of everything that I would have hoped for when I originally bought the 997 TT. Sure it’s Supercar status even stock but now it sounds the part and has that extra punch that really makes complete use of that incredible turbo engine that Porsche put in this thing.

-I am sure I will probably eat these words now that I have the bug…but I can’t imagine anyone needing any more power or torque from this machine (or any machine).

-For the future…..sad that she is heading to the stable for the winter. Psyched for the Spring. Will probably consider some cosmetic tweaks or personalizing. Maybe clear blinker plastic as opposed to DOT orange. Maybe a short shifter. Some alacantra…..red stitching?…..seat belts?……
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I will try to get around to making some sound clips, taking pics, etc. once it stops raining here! Hopefully by this weekend. In the meantime if anyone had has any questions you can send me a message. Thanks to everyone here for all their posts and helpful information.
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Happy Thanksgiving to all!

 

Thanks for the Feedback John!

Jeff

 

Congrats. Sounds awesome. +1 on the clear corners.

 

Congrats

 

+ one on Fabspeed ,- good choice
my car has Fabspeed performance package on for way over two years without any problems whatsoever..

 

Congratulations on your mods. As you can tell by my post count I am also new here. I just got off the phone with Sharkwerks in Cali as I am on the west coast. We spoke about doing the exact same set of mods on my 2007 Turbo but with different manufacture of the exhaust (Tubi). Do you mind sharing what your time in shop was and maybe how much you were out money wise? Did you get to listen to any other exhausts prior to picking the Fabspeed product? What would relate the sound to? Could you describe the in cabin sound too please? I also second the clear side markers as it was my first mod. I paid $35.00 for two at my local dealer if that helps. Install takes all of 5 minutes for both too and can be done by anyone that can put a screwdriver in a hole.

 

I use FABSPEED products on my clients cars as well as my own cars.. Great products Im sure you will be happy with the results..

 

Great post. You're seriously making me jittery and constant back and forth trying to decide whether I do similar setup without or with sport cats. Guess I'm a warranty weenie.

Thumbs up on the clear sides. It's cheap but I always make the dealer throw it in before I drive off the lot.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome everybody!

It's still freakin pouring here so I'm driving with the windows up and taking it easy but I'm still loving it. Power aside, the sound is just beautiful. I will def get some pics and vids just as soon as I can.

OTOPPERO: I've heard and read great things about Sharkwerks so I'm sure you will be in great hands. I also just read and saw pics of that kickass powder blue GT3RS they bought and drove half way across the country. Very cool. Kudos to those guys.

I will try to answer your questions the best I can. Time wise I was in and out the same day. It was a 4-5 hr job. Money wise it's tough to compare. For the ECU tune, it is what it is since Sharkwerks also uses EVO, so depending on what EVO package you go with will determine that particular cost. EVO usually does a December special discount so you should check with Sharkwerks and try to time it accordingly and maybe get yourself a sweet deal. You can go to Fabspeed's website and check their prices for the exhaust and air-intake right online (they always throw in an extra discount for members just call/email them), I don't know about Sharkwerks but I would assume a top-notch outfit like that would also cut you a break. As far as exhaust comparison, that's very difficult and comes down to personal opinion. I've read very good things about Tubi and Europipe so I'm sure going with Tubi can't be bad. I can tell you though that price wise Fabspeed it very competitive when it comes to their products (exhaust, etc.). As far as sound, I wanted loud. Not deafening but something very "throaty" that sounded deep and mean but I didn't want something so loud that it would be obnoxious (this is obviously a relative thing and a personal choice....loud and obnoxious is different for different people). After listening to different systems (mostly online which isn't the best choice) and reading a lot, I opted for Fabspeed's Supersport X-Pipe setup. It is the most aggressive sound of all their exhausts. It doesn't have "mufflers". It replaces your mufflers with an "x-pipe" and in those pipes are "resonators" which take the place of mufflers. They dampen the sound a bit and adjust the tone. This way you don't have a super crazy loud system (like a complete no muffler bypass) but you have something more aggressive than with using traditional mufflers. They also make a product which uses mufflers (they call their mufflers Maxflo)...it's also a great sounding system but a notch or two less aggressive then the Supersport X-Pipe. The sound that I got from the new system, which again is the Supersport X-Pipe...which comes with the HJS 200 cell high flow racing Cats, is a very deep, raspy, throaty rumble. That's the best I can describe it. I will have to upload some sound clips. I will try this weekend. Inside the cabin you can hear it but again (personal choice) I like it. It's not hard to have a conversation or listen to the music but you can def hear it. Remember I am in a Cab. As far as "drone"...I'm not even sure what that is...lol....but you can hear the car running...accelerate....you can hear the bypass vavles open....you can hear the boost kick in and "snap" (crackle, pop)...it's music in and of itself...again for me...it's right at the limit WITHOUT being overkill. Whatever you decide good luck and enjoy it!

MOZHACKER: I personally wouldn't get jittery with the sport cats. I "don't think" they void any warranty. They are just different cats that allow for additional airflow. The HJS 200 cell HF cats that I went with are very well respected everywhere from what I understand. I saw them out of the box and compared them to the stock ones and the HJS cats are beautiful pieces of art. They are the most expensive component in the exhaust system (mine)...so I doubt they would affect the warranty...plus just hang on to your stock stuff when it comes off, you can always put it back on if you really needed to....if you ever sell your car the buyer might prefer stock anyway. Good luck!

 

Congrats...I nearly sold my car before I went the mod route...now I'll never sell it. What a huge difference a few mods makes.

 

RACLAIMS: Thanks. Can you give some feedback on the short shifter and HRE wheels. I am considering the short shifter as well. I might consider some wheels at some point too but I kind of like my stock wheels....and HRE's are expensive! Also not sure whether to go black or aluminum. What do you think of the HRE's (for the money and for the look over the stock wheels)

 

porsche1099, great write up and thanks for all of the info.

mozhacker, the Fabspeed X-Pipe does not void warranty or throw CEL (Check Engine Light) while running a stock program on the ECU. You will also be able to pass emission standards. If you choose to flash the ECU, regardless of the program, they all pretty much open the gates on the downstream oxygen sensors and will allow you to run straight pipe (no CAT, no Muffler) without triggering a CEL. Although, depending on the state you will need a connection to pass emissions or just swap back and forth for the sticker. Finally, a turbo does not require any amount of backpressure unlike a naturally aspirated engine so there are no worries of burning out valves by opening the system up. I don't know exactly which flashes are reversible, but the Softronic (Vividracing.com) will allow you to swap back and forth via your own laptop and not pull the ECU. EVO can set you up with a toggle switch to flip between multiple programs in the car, but this obviously cost additional as you are switching between ECUs. Some programmers claim you only need one flash and then won't need to adjust until you start messing with injectors or turbos while others seem to adjust for headers/intercoolers/plenum/throttle bodies all with an additional charge each time you modify (750-995 per adjustment). The programs that don't require re-flashing for these minor mods state that the car will adjust to the updated conditions automatically just like a change in the ambient environment or altitude change.

 

Thanks to the OP's recommendations, we have another customer coming in tomorrow for the same exact package. Thanks!

Jeff

 

When I was doing my mods...a few people highly recommended the short shifter. It made no sense to me. Why do I need it? The car comes with a perfectly functioning shifter. But my buddies convinced me and the difference is absolutely amazing. I would never, ever go back to stock. It's worth every penny. The shifts are just so much more crisp...it's fantastic.

With regard to the wheels, yes they are expensive, and yes they are expensive to repair when you curb them (ask me how I know)...however, they make an incredible visual impact. My buddy was over last night with his stock wheels and they look like "crap" next to mine.

Every time I drive the car, someone without fail comments about how much they love my wheels.

So yes it's big money hustling...but they look fantastic.

 

raclaims: thanks for the feedback. I wish I did the short shifter....but now I know I definitely will! Soon! I will also do the wheels in the Spring. Thanks for pushing me over the edge, although it didn't take much.

Jeff@Fabspeed: glad I could help. I know he will LOVE IT. I actually took him for a spin in mine the other day. Just to reiterate I AM LOVING my exhaust and tune.

I have also recently made a few additional cosmetic mods that I am really happy with (all purchased from Suncoast): side clear markers, rocker decals that say "Porsche" (very retro looking....I have a black cab and this decal is also black so it is very subtle, changed the hood badge from color to black/white (the new badge doesn't have posts so I had to use adhesive and some other tweaks), removed the "turbo" from the rear and replaced it with black letters/nums "911TT"...these are also black which has a subtle effect and blends nicely, lastly, there is a large 75 anniversary badge I bought that I mounted on the front/right of my bumper/grill (had to modify it slightly so I could zip-tie it and not bolt it) I think the results are pretty cool. Makes it looks like a Special Edition. Once I get it cleaned up I will upload some pics.